Predicted college football rankings

Editors USA TODAY Published 7:31 p.m. UTC Aug 30, 2018 Biden to speak at McCain's funeral in Arizona Former Vice President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy to his long-time friend John McCain at the senator's funeral in Phoenix on Thursday. The service, scheduled for 10 a.m. MT at North Phoenix Baptist Church, will also include a reading from McCain's daughter Bridget, along with tributes from former Arizona Attorney General Grant Woods and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. After the Arizona service, McCain's body will be transported to Washington, D.C. He will lie in state Friday at the U.S. Capitol. Former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama will deliver eulogies Saturday at McCain's Washington, D.C., funeral. 12-game appetizer as the college football season gets underway The 2018 college football season kicks off in earnest this week, starting with Thursday's 12-game appetizer — seven of which airing on national … [Read more...] about John McCain funeral, college football 2018 season, Aretha Franklin tribute: 5 things to know Thursday

Erick Smith USA TODAY Published 2:50 p.m. UTC Aug 28, 2018 Having two teams from the same conference in the College Football Playoff was bound to happen once the system went into place in 2014. And it is hard to argue both Georgia and Alabama were undeserving of their spots in the field last year. With the precedent set, it more likely to envision the same scenario happening this year with the Tide and Bulldogs again loaded and the Big Ten East full of contenders along with Wisconsin in the opposite division. But history has shown the playoff is also reserved for a select few. Four teams - Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State - have earned 11 of the 16 berths handed out. The quartet all start in the top five of the rankings and should again be in the thick of things. NCAA RE-RANK: Clemson is No. 1 ahead of Alabama entering season PREDICTIONS: The best, worst and sleeper team in each conference HOT SEATS: Ranking job security in each college football conference Look for … [Read more...] about Bowl projections: College Football Playoff predictions include one party crasher

Eddie Timanus USA TODAY Published 1:32 p.m. UTC Aug 24, 2018 Sports are supposed to provide an escape from the everyday grind. Unfortunately, the real world has been all too prevalent in the issues that have dominated the news cycle in college football of late. It should come as some relief, then, that there are actual games to watch this weekend. There aren’t any marquee contests on the week 0 slate, but hopefully a couple of the televised offerings can remind us why this game is fun. Hawaii at Colorado State, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN The season’s first clash of FBS opponents has the added value of being a conference game. Neither team is expected to claim the Mountain West title, but an opening win could prove extremely important to both teams’ bowl aspirations. Each programs have dealt with non-football related distractions in the days leading up to kickoff. The visiting Warriors arrived on the mainland with Hurricane Lane bearing down on the islands. The … [Read more...] about College football kicks off this weekend with four games to watch

Paul Myerberg USA TODAY Published 5:00 p.m. UTC Aug 21, 2018 There are few certainties in college football. Alabama will be good. Likewise with Clemson. Wisconsin will run the football. Stanford running back Bryce Love will break a long run. Everything else is a guessing game. But we’ve seen enough, read enough and gathered enough information to make a few educated guesses about how the 2018 season will play out. For each of the 10 leagues and the independents, here are the best teams, sleeper teams and teams least likely to succeed as the long offseason finally draws to a close: American Athletic Conference Best team: Central Florida Sleeper team: Temple Least likely to succeed: Connecticut Central Florida remains the class of the AAC behind a new coaching staff led by former Missouri assistant Josh Heupel. Temple coach Geoff Collins believes the Owls are ready to make a run at a division title. Connecticut is taking steps under Randy Edsall, but there’s another … [Read more...] about The best, worst and sleeper team in each college football conference

Paul Myerberg USA TODAY Published 1:44 p.m. UTC Aug 3, 2018 The strongest league in the Football Bowl Subdivision doesn’t house the nation’s best team, since Alabama plays in the Southeastern Conference. That league, once rulers of the sport with an iron fist, is an imitation of its prior self. The idea that LSU made the cut in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll is, in a word, laughable. Ignore the fact that LSU coach Ed Orgeron inspires little confidence. Focus instead on how the Tigers are again pinning their hopes on a graduate-transfer quarterback as they face four teams in the preseason top 10: Alabama, Georgia, Miami (Fla.) and Auburn. So why did LSU make the cut? Helmets. Jerseys. Reputation, both of the program itself and, more importantly, its conference. LSU is here because of the benefit of the doubt extended to the SEC, which goes something like this: The fifth-best team in this conference must be one of the 25 best teams in all of college football. Which … [Read more...] about Amway Coaches Poll shows the Big Ten is new conference king in college football